By Louis Collins
Vaka Eiva outrigger canoe competition. Photo: Louis Collins
While the Pacific sporting world was focusing on the Pacific Games in Honiara, another international sporting spectacle is taking place on Rarotonga this week - an event with distinctly Pacific roots.
The annual Vaka Eiva outrigger canoe competition welcomed over 350 paddlers from the Pacific and beyond at a blessing on Friday 1 December in Avarua.
The Cook Island capital has seen an influx of paddlers from Australia, Tahiti, the United States, Hawaii, and New Zealand arrive to compete in various races throughout the week-long event.
Among the competing paddlers is Hardy Spoehr, of Anuenue Canoe Club in Honolulu Hawaii, who were involved in the first Vaka Eiva event in 2004.
"Its grown into a much more international sport in the years since," Spoehr said.
Vaka Eiva outrigger canoe competition. Photo: Louis Collins
He attributes outrigger canoeing's rise in popularity to it being a sport "conducive to all ages, from twelve and fourteen year olds to us kūpuna old folk. It's also a sport that we can claim as ours as Polynesians".
Local paddler, and winner of Saturday's 12k singles women's race, Serena Hunter, said "It's exciting to see an resurgence of international interest after 3 years."
Hunter said the absence of international competition has meant her and other Cook Island paddlers have focused on building the local vaka scene.
As well as being a sporting competition, Hunter believes Vaka Eiva is a paddling festival of sorts, she said "it's a celebration of culture, paddlers, and friendship, it's really great to see the Vaka Eiva vibe well and truly back in Rarotonga again".
Paddlers battled relatively choppy conditions throughout the week, with several junior races called off or postponed.
Local paddler and winner of Saturday's 12k singles women's race, Serena Hunter. Photo: Louis Collins
The young paddlers did manage to get on the water on Wednesday though, with a highly competitive V6 10km race, won by a local Rarotongan crew.
On Friday, the final day of the event, paddlers competed in what's known as the pinnacle of Vaka Eiva, the 36km round Raro relay race.
Local crews performed well once again, with the Avarua based Te Tupu O Te Manava club winning the women's division.
In the men's division, a team of kiwi paddlers from the Makoha outrigger canoe club fought off one to two metre swells, and high winds to slightly edge the locals and take the number one spot.
